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THE SACRED PLAY 



OF 



KUTH ^ NAOMI, 



FROM THE 



COUNTRY OF MOAB. 






By HIRAM H. EDDY of Clarendon, Vt. 






RUTLAND : 

TuTTLF k Co., Official State Printers. 

1880. 



v^ 






RUTH AND NAOMI. 



Naomi, Kuth and Orpha should appear with travelling budgets in Act 
first. Naomi, Orpha and Ruth are to wear Arabian veils resembling those 
long hoods of the Nuns. 

The first seven verses of the Book of Ruth are to be read — and then say — 
the play will take up the narrative at this point. 



ACT I. 

Naomi. — Go, return each to her mother's house : the Lord 
deal kindly with you. as ye have dealt with the dead, and with 
me The Lord grant you that ve may find rest, eaeli of you in 
the house of her husband. (iCisses Orpah and Euth.) 

Orpah and Ruth (both weeping). — We will return with thee 
unto thy people. 

Naomi. — Turn again, my daughters ; go your way ; for I am 
too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have ho})e, if I 
should have an husband also to-night, and should also bear sons, 
would ye tarry for them till they were grown ? would ye stay for 
them from having husbands ? Nay, my daughters ; for it 
grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is 
gone out against me. 

Orpah and Ruth still weeping. Orpah kisses her mother-in-law and exit. 
Rnth advances and takes Naomi by the hand. 

Naomi. — Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her peo- 
ple and her gods ; return thou after thy sister-in-law. 



Rlth. — Entrcni me not to leave tliee, or to ictiirn from 
folloAving after thee ; for whither tlioii goe8t I will go, and where 
tlioii loclgest I Avill lodge : thy people shall be my people, and 
thy God my God. Where thou diest will I die, and there Avill I 
be buried ; the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but 
death part thee and me. (Curtain.) 



ACT 11. 

A field of barley, rye or wlie«t to be set up under the curtain (see page 8, 
for directions). Curtain rises and reapers are discovered reaping and glean- 
ers gleaning, Enter Boaz. 

BoAZ {to reapers). — The Lord be with thee ! 

Reapers. — The Lord bless thee ! ^ 

Boaz (to overseer). — Whose damsel is this ? 

Overseer. — It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with 
ZS'aomi out of the country of Moab : and sue said, I pray you let 
me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves : so slie 
came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that 
she tarried a little in the house. 

Boaz (to Ruth). — Hearest thou not, my daughter ? Go not 
to glean in another field, neither go from hence but abide here 
fast^l)y mv maidens. Let thine eyes be on the field that tliey do 
reap, and go thou after them : have I not charged the 5'oung men 
that they shall not touch thee ? and when thou art athirst go 
unto the vessels and driuk of that which the young men have 
drawn. 

Ruth (falling on her face). — A¥hy have I found grace in thine 
eyes, that thou shouldst take knowledge of me, seeiug I am a 
stranger ? 

Boaz. — It hath fully been shewed me all that thou hast done 
unto thy riiother-in-law since the death of thine husband ; and 
how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of 
thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou kuewest 
not heretofore. The Lord recompense thy Avork, and a full 
rew^^rd be given thee of the Loi-d God of Israel, under whose 
wings thou art come' to trust. 

Ruth. — Let me find favor in thy sight, my lord ; for that thou 
hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like 
unto one of thi.ie handmaidens. 

Boaz. — At meal times come thou hither, and eat of the bread, 
and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. (Curtain.) 

A table si)read, with bread, vinegar and popped corn on it ; the cook 
comes in front of the curtain and blows two or three blasts from a dinner 
horn ; the reapers and gleaners come out from the side of the cui'tain two 



5 

by two, Ruth walking with a gleaner : gleaners bearing sheaves of glean- 
ings in their hands. March twice or three times aronnd ih.e hall, tlien go to 
the table and eat. When reapers and gleaners get out from side of curtain, 
raise the curtain in. front, displaying the table. Music will commence at 
the sound of the horu and continue until seated at table. Boaz passes Rutli 
the popped corn. When Ruth gets up to go a gleaning Boaz says : 

BoAZ. — Young men, let her glean even among the sheaves, 
iind reproach her not ; and let fall also some of the liandf uls oi' 
purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and 
rebuke her not. (Curtain.) 



ACT III. 

Enter Naomi and Ruth. 
Naomi. — Mydaughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it 
may be well with thee ? And noAv is not Boaz of our kindred, 
with whose maidens thou wast ? Behold, he winnowetii barley 
to-night in the threshing-floor. Wash thyself, tlierefore, and 
anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down 
to the floor : but make not thyself known unto the man until he 
shall have done eating and drinking. And it shall be when he 
lieth down that thou slialt mark the })lace where he shall lie, and 
thou shalt go in and uncover his feet, and lay thee down ; and 
he will tell thee what thou shalt do. 

KuTH. — All that thou sayest unto me I will do. (Curtain.) 

An old-fashioned winnowing fan, a bushel of wheat or barley or rye ; 
Boaz and two servants winnowing ; curtain rises ; when they get through 
winnowing, have a stand with bread and water on it for Boaz to ea t. (See 
note, page 8.) Boaz to be merry, and when he lieth down Ruth is to come 
out from the side of the curtain and cautiously look in to mark the spot 
where he lieth down. She will then go in and uncover his feet and lay her- 
self down. Boaz wakes up and turns over, and says ; 

Boaz. — Who art thou ? 

EuTH. — I am Ruth, thine liandmaid : spread therefore thy 
skirt over thine handmaid ; for thou art a near kinsman. 

Boaz. — Blessed he thou of the Lord, my daughter, for thou 
hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the begin- 
ning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor 
or rich. And now my daughter, fear not : I will do to thee all 
that thou requirest : for all the city of my peojile doth know that 
thou art a virtuoits woman. And now it is true that I am thy 
near* kinsman : hoAvbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I. Tarry 
this night, and it shall be in the morning, tliat if he will perform 
unto thee the part of a kinsman, well ; let him do the kinsman's 
part : but if he will not do tlie part of a kinsman unto thee, then 
will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the Lox'd liveth : lie 
down until the morning. (See note, page 8.) 



6 

BoAZ (as Ruth gets up to leave). — Let it not be known that a 
woman came into the floor. Also, bring the vail that thou hast 
upon thee, and hold it. 

Rutli holds the vail, into whicli Boaz puts six measures of barley. Curtain* 

Enter Naomi, who walks back and forth, and goes down to the gate and 
looks over two or three times, appearing anxious. On going to the gate the 
third time, she says : 

Naomi. — I fear something has happened to my daughter ! 

She teturns, weeping, Ruth then comes out from the side of the curtain, 
goes around to the front gate, and goes in, and says : 

liuTH. — These six measures of barley gave he me ; for he said 
to me, go not empty unto thy mother-in-laAv. 

Naomi. — Sit still, my daughter, until thou .knoAv how the 
matter will fall : For the man will not be in rest until he have 
finished the thing this day. (Curtain.) 



ACT IV. 

A bench each side of the gate for Boaz and Elders to sit on. Boaz to come 
along and sit down by the gate. Ruth sees him and runs to greet him, 
shaking hands heartily over the gate. 

Ruth. — How do you do, Boaz ? 

Boaz. — Very well, I thank you. How art thou, Ruth ? 

Ruth. — Oh, very well. 

Boaz. — I hope thy mother-in-law was pleased wich the barley. 

Ruth. — Oh ! she was just delighted with it ! She said it was 
very kind in you. 

Boaz. — Give my complments to thy mother-in-law. 

Ruth runs with compliments. Naomi returns with Ruth to the gate, over 
which she shakes hands with Boaz. 

Naomi. — Boaz, I was greatly pleased with the generous gift 
thou gavest us. Wilt thou come into the house and tarry awhile ? 

Boaz. — No, I thank you. Near kinsman is coming along, and 
I thought to have some talk about those fields of yours. 

Naomi and Ruth remain at gate. Then near kinsman comes along. 

Boaz. — Ho, ye ! turn aside ; sit down here. 

Then ten elders come along and sit, five on each side of the gate. 

Boaz (to near kinsman). — Naomi, that is come again out of 
the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land which Avas our 
brother Elimelech's : and I thought to advertise thee, saying, 



Buy it before the inhabitants and before the elders of my people. 
If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it ; but if thou wilt not redeem it 
then tell me, that I may know ; for there is none^ to redeem it 
beside thee : and I am after thee. 

Near Kinsman. — I Avill redeem it. 

BoAZ. — Wliat day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, 
thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the 
dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. 

Near Kinsman. — I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar 
mine OAvn inheritance. Redeem tliou my right to thyself : for I 
cannot redeem it. 

Boaz takes off his shoe and hands it to Naomi. 

BoAZ. — Ye are witnesses this day that I have bought all that 
was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the 
hand of .Naomi. Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of 
Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name 
of the dead upon liis inheritance, that the name of the dead be 
not cut off from his brethren, and from the gate of liis place ; ye 
are witnesses this day. 

All. — We are witnesses. 

Ruth takes hold of the shoe with Naomi giving her other hand to Boaz 
over the gate. 

Ruth — So let it be. 

Ruth stands up with Boaz and they are married by one of the elders, Na 
omi and one or two gleaners standing up with Ruth. The modus operandi 
to be as follows : The elder takes off his shoe and hands it to Boaz and 
Ruth, both of whom take hold of it. 

Elder. — Ye are all witne.=!ses that Boaz takes Rutli to be his 
wife this day. 

All. — We are witnesses. 

Elder (to Ruth and Boaz). — May the Lord make the woman 
that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which 
two did build the house of Israel ; and do thou worthily in 
Ephratli and l)e famous in Bethlehem. 

The music will play '• Behold the Bridegroom Cometh," in the " Wedding 
March," all singing. A canopy to be carried over the bride by two servants, 
Boaz walking in front of bride ; music to lead, elders and people marching 
behind bride ; all carry torches. March twice or three times around the 
hall, and then go under the curtain. 



016 215 131 9 



NOTES TO THIRD ACT. 

1. When Ruth comes out to mark the spot where Boaz Heth down, the 
music are to play very soft and plaintive, with considerable feeling, for tAvo 
or three minutes, and when the music stops, Boaz is to wake up and turn 
over, and say, " Who art thou V" 

3. Wheu Boaz says, " Lie down until the morning," the music are to 
play again very slow and soft for two or three minutes, and then Ruth will 
get up to go. 



DIRECTIONS FOR SETTING UP THE FIELD. 

Take two or three boards ten or twelve feet long, and with a half-inch liit 
bore holes through them three or four inches apart. Into these holes insert 
as mucli barley as will go in easily, fastening it with small wooden plugs. 
Commence at the back side to set it uj). 



COPYKIGHT SECURED. 



1 LIBRARY CF CONGRESS 



016 215 131 9 



